During the French Revolution, the French Republic executed thousands of nobles, and Antonine Laurent de Lavoisier was not spared from this nightmare.
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Antonine Laurent de Lavoisier and his wife |
The reason Antonine was arrested was that he had been a shareholder in a tax-collecting company. Although he did not collect taxes himself, as a shareholder, he naturally benefited from it.
On May 2, 1794, the revolutionary government handed Antonine over to the Revolutionary Tribunal. At that time, there was no such thing as fairness; Antonine was fully aware of this, as were his wife and friends.
This was a farcical trial, with no need for evidence or defense. The court easily determined a person’s guilt. People shouted maniacally: “Guilty, guilty, take him to the Revolutionary Square, do not hesitate!”
“But…” – Antonine said – “I am waiting to conduct an experiment on sweating; I beg for a little time to contribute more to my country.”
“Enough!” – The judge slammed the table – “The Republic does not need scientists.”
Faced with these irrational individuals, Antonine no longer pleaded. He began to reflect on his life’s work, having little left to say to the judge.
On May 8, 1794, Antonine and his father-in-law, along with more than twenty other prisoners, were escorted to the execution site, marking the beginning of his terrifying final chapter. Antonine knew how he was going to die.
The escort vehicle stopped at the Revolutionary Square, and the prisoners waited in silence. Antonine closed his eyes, showing no expression on his face. 
After a moment, he opened his eyes and scanned the crowd, which included angry citizens eager for the executions, and of course, there were family and friends silently weeping.
The blade was raised and then fell, and it was Antonine and his father-in-law’s turn. The father-in-law could not stand firm and, in fear, leaned against Antonine. “Be brave, this will only happen in an instant before we return to eternity,” he said to his father-in-law.
Antonine calmly stepped up to the guillotine. Thus, a scientist wrote the following words: “To cut off a head takes but a moment, yet humanity may not produce another like it for hundreds of years.”
After a period of frantic madness, the French people came to understand the value of Antonine. Less than two years after his death, Paris erected a bust of him – a great scientist of France.
“Without simultaneously improving the foundation of science, we cannot enhance the language of any science.” — Antonine Laurent de Lavoisier —
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Return to: “Antonine Laurent de Lavoisier – The Passion for Chemistry“
Return to: “Antonine Laurent de Lavoisier – Can Water Be Turned into Soil?“
